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It is a unique way to deal with the huge problem of what to do with disposable diapesr.

An enterprising Mexican researcher has a unique solution - use them to grow mushrooms.

Researchers found mushrooms feed on cellulose, an ingredient in diapers.

By grinding them up, they created 'diaper fertiliser' in which mushrooms blossomed.

The mushrooms growing in their 'diaper fertiliser'. Researchers say they even tasted the mushrooms -and said they were 'normal'.

HOW THEY DID IT

Researchers from Autonomous Metropolitan University in Azcapotzalco, Mexico, first ground up wet diapers that had been sterilized.

They then blended them with coffee grounds and other organic waste including parts of grape and pineapple.

Researchers then added fungus spores and fertilizer to the diaper mixture.

The mixture was then wrapped up in plastic bags and placed in a cool, damp room. 

Three months later, mushrooms had bloomed and the cellulose from the diapers had nearly disappeared, the team said.

They even tasted the mushrooms -and said they were 'normal' .

Mexico is the third largest consumer of disposable diapers globally, which led to a Mexican scientist to design a technology capable of degrading the product materials by the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus. 

'The idea came after considering that mushrooms feed on cellulose, material present in diapers, but they also possess non-biodegradable synthetic elements such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and superabsorbent gel (sodium polyacrylate) which collects fluids ', said Rosa María Espinosa Valdemar of the Autonomous Metropolitan University.

The average baby uses more than 8,000 diapers before potty training, creating two tons of slow-to-degrade garbage.

There are over 4 million babies a year born in the U.S. alone according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Researchers said that the first step is to get the diapers (only those containing liquid waste).

Then they are sterilized by autoclave, ground and mixed with some other material that contains a substance called lignin (which the fungus also needs) from pasture, grape pomace, coffee or pineapple crown. 

This preparation, where the mushrooms are to be developed is called substrate.

Researchers then got hold of commercial seed, which is the growth of the fungus spores on some wheat or sorghum and spread it on the substrate, and the resulting mix placed in a plastic bag.

'This was held two to three weeks in the dark with controlled humidity and temperature, then exposing them to a light phase ', he said.

After 2.5 to three months, the diaper degrades and reduces its volume and weight by up to 80 percent.

'For example, if we apply this technology in a kilo of diapers at the end of the process it will be reduced to 200 grams and 300 grams of mushrooms,' says the researcher.

The plastic materials provide certain benefits to the process, as the occupying space there allows better aeration and growing area.

It is hoped the research could lead to a new methods of dealing with disposable nappies - by growing mushrooms for cattle to eat.

Moreover, after the fungi grow remnants of the gel material that retain liquid can be recovered and could be applied in soils with low moisture retention.

'For arid lands of Mexico it is 'golden ground', as it would reduce the amount of irrigation, highlights the professor at UAM.

Once the mushrooms are harvested, the teacher Valdemar Espinosa and his team decided to try them. 

'We were sure that did not contain contaminants or infectious organisms, and we performed an analysis and found that the contents of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals are the same as that of commercial yeast. 

'It shouldn't have to be different, mainly because diapers are sterilized ', he says. 

However, he admitted the mushrooms were unlikely to be appealing to humans. 

'The project is not intended to produce mushrooms targeted for human consumption, since the main objective is to get rid of diapers to avoid damaging the environment more. 

'However, the mushrooms could be used as food supplement for cattle, the gel can be used to increase moisture retention in some crops and the plastic can be sent to recycling', says the scientist.